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(How) Do women's instincts and perspectives provide a career advantage?

Submitted by 1practicalgal on Thu, 09/18/2008 - 11:26pm.

My blog post last week about what women tend to do that stifles our own career progress is my second most-read post to date.  (My inaugural post about telling my boss I didn't want the job they gave me after a reorg, still remains #1.)  The post led to many conversations, as well as email exchanges, that led me to mull on the topic and know that I had to write its antithesis.  After all, I believe being a woman is a great and wondrous thing.

I had some initial assumptions, but wanted to talk to some women more experienced than I, and to some men, to hear their views.  For one, it led to a great conversation with my mother, a former CFO.  And, although I'm writing from the perspective of someone in the business world, I imagine that many of these traits would be an advantage in science, law, academia, politics, etc.

If you think I'm wrong on some of these, let me know.  And, if some of them hit you as the truth, then make sure you teach and nurture both your sons and daughters to behave in these ways.

  1. Our work is not our entire identity – Successes in other areas of our life often provide the fuel we need to charge on and keep a layoff, or business failure, from knocking us off our feet.  We can use our broad range of life experiences to make more connections and identify business opportunities.
  2. We don't just listen, we hear – This makes us skillful at negotiating, marketing, collaborating, discovering and myriad other important facets of business.
  3. We have intuition – We are sensitive in ways that allow us to process lots of cues that help us detect opportunity as well as danger.
  4. We are trusted, and underestimated– When it comes to corporate scandal women have become famous as whistleblowers while, with few exceptions like Martha Stewart, it is men who have made their names - Boesky, Milken, Fastow, Lay - famous and synonymous with greed and corruption.  (I think we're about to add a few more to that list soon.)  Please help us retain our good name, and may the good-ol' boys continue to suffer the consequences of their actions.
  5. We're naturals at building and nurturing relationships – We're so good at it, we don't even notice it.  Make sure to purposely seek out people you need, and not just rely on good fortune, to help start valuable, mutually beneficial relationships.  Just because we may not have the time to gather in a hotel ballroom, (trying to make a meal out of crappy hors d'oeuvers and cheap chardonnay) we can still network.  The sidelines at soccer games, the bench outside ballet class, and now, social networking from the comfort of your own computer screen, all provide opportunities to connect.
  6. We seek win/win outcomes – For us, winning does not have to mean the other party loses.  I remember so many games I played as a child were focused on trying to keep the game going so we could play together longer, rather than claim ultimate victory. What an advantage this is for customer and employee retention.
  7. We know the importance of appearance – We know that details can influence other's perception of us, as well as of our products and services.  Customers are willing to pay more when there is higher perceived value, so go ahead and share those product improvement ideas that others may view as superfluous, help your business design for delight.
  8. People like to help us – Let people help you; just make sure to say thanks and then return the favor.
  9. We're used to having to prove ourselves – We've learned that facts don’t always work to convince others to follow our lead, so we've adapted by using the persuasive power garnered through our actions and attitude.   
  10. We live longer – We may feel the pressure of a biological clock for having children, but I know many men who feel the self-imposed pressure of a career clock.  And, given their shorter lifespan, it is not surprising.  But, many of them are rushed because they want to get to retirement, so that – back to #1 - they can be more like us and no longer have their work define their identity.  Let's not let their career ladder climbing and timing be imposed on us. 

This post is cross posted from http://practicallyspeaking.typepad.com